The Medill Justice Project

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In 2000, someone shot a young man in a Slidell club. Investigators quickly zeroed in on McKinley Phipps Jr., a rising star in New Orleans’ rap scene. He was convicted of manslaughter. But witnesses have raised questions about the key eyewitness, and one woman says she was coerced into pointing the finger at Phipps.

Kenny "Zulu" Whitmore's stretch in solitary is one of the longest in the country. Some states are curtailing the practice, in part because it's so expensive. Critics say that years without human contact can exacerbate mental illness.

Inmate Kenny “Zulu” Whitmore has filed a federal lawsuit claiming that it's unconstitutional to be held in solitary confinement for so long. Warden Burl Cain said he may take him out, but he's concerned about the inmate's affiliation with the Black Panther Party.